Is paxil worth it?

Anxiety and Panic Information » Anxiety Disorder Panic Attacks » Is paxil worth it?

Question:

Doug, That is so true. I’ve often said the same thing. I don’t even care that Paxil causes withdrwal symptoms when coming off it, because I plan on being on it for the rest of my life… even if it is ten years less than if I wasn’t taking the paxil. Sissy

It might be ten years more. Plus, untreated panic disorder and depression has a high suicide rate. Chip

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Doug, That is so true. I’ve often said the same thing. I don’t even care that Paxil causes withdrwal symptoms when coming off it, because I plan on being on it for the rest of my life… even if it is ten years less than if I wasn’t taking the paxil. Sissy It might be ten years more. Plus, untreated panic disorder and depression has a high suicide rate. Chip

Yep. And the stress of anxiety isn’t doing your cardio-vascular or immune systems any good either. Ian

Response:

: I’m not intentionally :being facetious. It’s just that I’ve often thought that "if it were :possible", I’d trade my sp for pd. Please don’t misunderstand; I :realize that pd disrupts thousands of lives too. I know what you mean, the grass is always greener on the other side sorta speak I think every anxiety disorder is horrific, disabling in their where you discuss being able to work though it was very hard for you. I often envied, really envied you for at least being able to do how hard it must have really been for you. I`m sure there is a thing or two that I can do with relative ease socially that you would envy. Jackie ~*~any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee~*~ ~John Donne~

Response:

Before any of you take any of the "innocent" SSRI’s, I suggest you take a look at this first: http://www.drugawareness.org/Oldsite/survivors.html and http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/Survivors/Awake_for_800_Hours_S… tml Maybe you’ll reconsider after reading some of this? m.g.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – :Are the benefits of Paxil worth going through some of the bad side effects? I think it depends on the person, how effective paxil is for them and what the side-effects are and what they are willing to tolerate in exchange for good control over their anxiety disorder. You just won`t know unless you always get off paxil if you don`t like it. Just make sure to start at a low dose like 5mgs, or 2.5 if you are super sensitive to the side-effects of meds and wean slowly until you reach your prescribed dose. Using a benzo such as Xanax can make the weaning process more tolerable. Give paxil 6 to 8 weeks to kick in, side-effects will hopefully have diminished or gone away completely by this time as well. I`ve been on paxil for more than 4 years and to me it was worth the few side-effects I had and still have…..like fatigue, dry mouth and vivid dreaming, small price to pay for having my life back. :Is Paxil really good for treating just Social Phobia? I take paxil for panic disorder but I`ve read and heard that paxil is a effective med for social anxiety. Will it be a good med for you? No one Jackie ~*~Life was so much easier when your clothes didn’t match and boys had cooties~*~ Just to reiterate what Jackie said about Paxil being effective for social phobia too: I’ve had sp for all of my adult life and discovered Paxil perhaps 6 years ago. I took this med off and on, mostly on, for nearly 5 years. It was excellent at eliminating anticipatory and chronic anxiety, but was not able to prevent situational panic attacks (at least in my case). If you also have situational panic attacks, you may need a benzodiazepine to complement the Paxil. OTOH, in the social phobia newsgroup, a few posters have stated that Paxil also reduced or stopped their panic attacks too. Just goes to show that people can react differently to the same med. I gave up Paxil because of an inordinate number of side effects, which probably isn’t the norm, and switched over to all benzos. That said, if I could no longer take benzos, I definitely would reconsider Paxil in spite of the side effects I experienced. BTW, if you decide to try Paxil and weight gain begins to become an issue, attack it immediately before it gets out of hand. Cut your caloric intake about 10 to 15% and begin a mild exercise program. I have absolutely zero data stating what percent of people gain weight with Paxil, but a number of folks apparently do based on posts I’ve read and my own experience. Even so, the manufacturer of Paxil states in television ads that loss of appetite may be a side effect, but they make no reference to weight gain. The good news, though, is if you gain weight with Paxil, then stop taking the drug, over time the lbs. will drop off. Mine did. Doug

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – :Is Paxil really good for treating just Social Phobia? I take paxil for panic disorder but I`ve read and heard that paxil is a effective med for social anxiety. Will it be a good med for you? No one Jackie Paxil is s good a med for Social Anxiety Disorder as its peer meds AFAIK. But I believe the first choice treatment is *Cognitive Behavioral Therapy* (CBT), first one-to-one with a therapist and then in a group. A med like Paxil can support therapy of course when it’s needed. Just my 2c Philip

Philip, My experience with sp has been that until you lessen the anxiety with meds, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to even see a therapist, let alone take CBT. The anxiety is just too great with sp people when dealing with "authority" figures, among countless others. That brings up a question I’ve always wondered about. Is social phobia with situational panic attacks equal to, less than or more difficult to cope with than panic disorder? I’m not intentionally being facetious. It’s just that I’ve often thought that "if it were possible", I’d trade my sp for pd. Please don’t misunderstand; I realize that pd disrupts thousands of lives too. Doug – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Before any of you take any of the "innocent" SSRI’s, I suggest you take a look at this first: http://www.drugawareness.org/Oldsite/survivors.html and http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/Survivors/Awake_for_800_Hours_S…. h tml Maybe you’ll reconsider after reading some of this? m.g. m.g., Nope. I and thousands of others are proof that prescription meds, taken responsibly, can dramatically improve the lives of severe anxiety sufferers Please don’t bother to counter with an argument saying that I may live 10 years less, or whatever, because of these meds. Do you really think I’d prefer living a "long and healthy" life shut up in a room as opposed to taking medication and having at least a semblance of a normal life. Doug :Are the benefits of Paxil worth going through some of the bad side effects? I think it depends on the person, how effective paxil is for them and what the side-effects are and what they are willing to tolerate in exchange for good control over their anxiety disorder. You just won`t know unless you always get off paxil if you don`t like it. Just make sure to start at a low dose like 5mgs, or 2.5 if you are super sensitive to the side-effects of meds and wean slowly until you reach your prescribed dose. Using a benzo such as Xanax can make the weaning process more tolerable. Give paxil 6 to 8 weeks to kick in, side-effects will hopefully have diminished or gone away completely by this time as well. I`ve been on paxil for more than 4 years and to me it was worth the few side-effects I had and still have…..like fatigue, dry mouth and vivid dreaming, small price to pay for having my life back. :Is Paxil really good for treating just Social Phobia? I take paxil for panic disorder but I`ve read and heard that paxil is a effective med for social anxiety. Will it be a good med for you? No one Jackie ~*~Life was so much easier when your clothes didn’t match and boys had cooties~*~ Just to reiterate what Jackie said about Paxil being effective for social phobia too: I’ve had sp for all of my adult life and discovered Paxil perhaps 6 years ago. I took this med off and on, mostly on, for nearly 5 years. It was excellent at eliminating anticipatory and chronic anxiety, but was not able to prevent situational panic attacks (at least in my case). If you also have situational panic attacks, you may need a benzodiazepine to complement the Paxil. OTOH, in the social phobia newsgroup, a few posters have stated that Paxil also reduced or stopped their panic attacks too. Just goes to show that people can react differently to the same med. I gave up Paxil because of an inordinate number of side effects, which probably isn’t the norm, and switched over to all benzos. That said, if I could no longer take benzos, I definitely would reconsider Paxil in spite of the side effects I experienced. BTW, if you decide to try Paxil and weight gain begins to become an issue, attack it immediately before it gets out of hand. Cut your caloric intake about 10 to 15% and begin a mild exercise program. I have absolutely zero data stating what percent of people gain weight with Paxil, but a number of folks apparently do based on posts I’ve read and my own experience. Even so, the manufacturer of Paxil states in television ads that loss of appetite may be a side effect, but they make no reference to weight gain. The good news, though, is if you gain weight with Paxil, then stop taking the drug, over time the lbs. will drop off. Mine did. Doug

Response:

m.g., Nope. I and thousands of others are proof that prescription meds, taken responsibly, can dramatically improve the lives of severe anxiety sufferers Please don’t bother to counter with an argument saying that I may live 10 years less, or whatever, because of these meds. Do you really think I’d prefer living a "long and healthy" life shut up in a room as opposed to taking medication and having at least a semblance of a normal life. Doug – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – :Are the benefits of Paxil worth going through some of the bad side effects? I think it depends on the person, how effective paxil is for them and what the side-effects are and what they are willing to tolerate in exchange for good control over their anxiety disorder. You just won`t know unless you always get off paxil if you don`t like it. Just make sure to start at a low dose like 5mgs, or 2.5 if you are super sensitive to the side-effects of meds and wean slowly until you reach your prescribed dose. Using a benzo such as Xanax can make the weaning process more tolerable. Give paxil 6 to 8 weeks to kick in, side-effects will hopefully have diminished or gone away completely by this time as well. I`ve been on paxil for more than 4 years and to me it was worth the few side-effects I had and still have…..like fatigue, dry mouth and vivid dreaming, small price to pay for having my life back. :Is Paxil really good for treating just Social Phobia? I take paxil for panic disorder but I`ve read and heard that paxil is a effective med for social anxiety. Will it be a good med for you? No one Jackie ~*~Life was so much easier when your clothes didn’t match and boys had cooties~*~ Just to reiterate what Jackie said about Paxil being effective for social phobia too: I’ve had sp for all of my adult life and discovered Paxil perhaps 6 years ago. I took this med off and on, mostly on, for nearly 5 years. It was excellent at eliminating anticipatory and chronic anxiety, but was not able to prevent situational panic attacks (at least in my case). If you also have situational panic attacks, you may need a benzodiazepine to complement the Paxil. OTOH, in the social phobia newsgroup, a few posters have stated that Paxil also reduced or stopped their panic attacks too. Just goes to show that people can react differently to the same med. I gave up Paxil because of an inordinate number of side effects, which probably isn’t the norm, and switched over to all benzos. That said, if I could no longer take benzos, I definitely would reconsider Paxil in spite of the side effects I experienced. BTW, if you decide to try Paxil and weight gain begins to become an issue, attack it immediately before it gets out of hand. Cut your caloric intake about 10 to 15% and begin a mild exercise program. I have absolutely zero data stating what percent of people gain weight with Paxil, but a number of folks apparently do based on posts I’ve read and my own experience. Even so, the manufacturer of Paxil states in television ads that loss of appetite may be a side effect, but they make no reference to weight gain. The good news, though, is if you gain weight with Paxil, then stop taking the drug, over time the lbs. will drop off. Mine did. Doug

Response:

Jackie, Thanks for the kind words re. work. As for your last sentence, I’ll bet there’s a dozen things you can do socially with relative ease that I’d be envious of. : ) I think Margo is undoubtedly correct in that severe anxiety given any name is still horrible to live with (paraphrased). Doug – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : I’m not intentionally :being facetious. It’s just that I’ve often thought that "if it were :possible", I’d trade my sp for pd. Please don’t misunderstand; I :realize that pd disrupts thousands of lives too. I know what you mean, the grass is always greener on the other side sorta speak I think every anxiety disorder is horrific, disabling in their where you discuss being able to work though it was very hard for you. I often envied, really envied you for at least being able to do how hard it must have really been for you. I`m sure there is a thing or two that I can do with relative ease socially that you would envy. Jackie ~*~any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee~*~ ~John Donne~

Response:

Ah, yes, the old anti-SSRI bozos. Did you know that the director of the organization behind this site sells books? It’s sort of like making a "Freddie the 13th on Halloween" movie. Fright sells. Some of their claims: SSRIs are the same as PCP and LSD. LOL SSRIs are behind the rise of such things as diabetes and un-wed mothers. LOL SSRIs work by increasing seratonin. LOL As you can see, they can claim a lot of things, but can they claim truth and rational thinking? tnx, drr Before any of you take any of the "innocent" SSRI’s, I suggest you take a look at this first: http://www.drugawareness.org/Oldsite/survivors.html and http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/Survivors/Awake_for_800_Hours_S… tml Maybe you’ll reconsider after reading some of this? m.g.

– The second nicest guy on the internet Need the ASAP Mini-FAQ? A copy is at www.drrhodes.org

Response:

Don’t get scared off by the *information* on these sites. *Drugawareness* is a rabid anti-SSRI enterprise led by somebody posing as a doctor which she isn’t. Taking a med is taking a risk and therefore we should be closely monitored by a skilled pdoc. There can be little doubt that SSRI’s are vastly overprescribed for the wrong reasons just like benzos used to be. There *are* documented side effects and they *do* cause *dependence* and should be tapered off of slowly. The marketing is aggressive and sometimes *disinformation* or lack of information is given on the insert leaflets. Unfortunately there are always people who have a knack for throwing away the baby with the bathwater and who will do anything to *demonize* a group of meds. We had lots of visits of the *Anti Benzo Squad* here and now we have the *Anti SSRI Squad*. So what else is new? Moreover, most stories both groups cook up are not about anxiety sufferers. And no, "M.G." with your telling email address, I am *not* going to enter any heated discussion so you can spare yourself the effort of replying. Philip (who as a rule – and as a layman <g – prefers TCA’s to SSRI’s but feels that the SSRI’s do have a place in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – :Are the benefits of Paxil worth going through some of the bad side effects? I think it depends on the person, how effective paxil is for them and what the side-effects are and what they are willing to tolerate in exchange for good control over their anxiety disorder. You just won`t know unless you always get off paxil if you don`t like it. Just make sure to start at a low dose like 5mgs, or 2.5 if you are super sensitive to the side-effects of meds and wean slowly until you reach your prescribed dose. Using a benzo such as Xanax can make the weaning process more tolerable. Give paxil 6 to 8 weeks to kick in, side-effects will hopefully have diminished or gone away completely by this time as well. I`ve been on paxil for more than 4 years and to me it was worth the few side-effects I had and still have…..like fatigue, dry mouth and vivid dreaming, small price to pay for having my life back. :Is Paxil really good for treating just Social Phobia? I take paxil for panic disorder but I`ve read and heard that paxil is a effective med for social anxiety. Will it be a good med for you? No one Jackie ~*~Life was so much easier when your clothes didn’t match and boys had cooties~*~ Just to reiterate what Jackie said about Paxil being effective for social phobia too: I’ve had sp for all of my adult life and discovered Paxil perhaps 6 years ago. I took this med off and on, mostly on, for nearly 5 years. It was excellent at eliminating anticipatory and chronic anxiety, but was not able to prevent situational panic attacks (at least in my case). If you also have situational panic attacks, you may need a benzodiazepine to complement the Paxil. OTOH, in the social phobia newsgroup, a few posters have stated that Paxil also reduced or stopped their panic attacks too. Just goes to show that people can react differently to the same med. I gave up Paxil because of an inordinate number of side effects, which probably isn’t the norm, and switched over to all benzos. That said, if I could no longer take benzos, I definitely would reconsider Paxil in spite of the side effects I experienced. BTW, if you decide to try Paxil and weight gain begins to become an issue, attack it immediately before it gets out of hand. Cut your caloric intake about 10 to 15% and begin a mild exercise program. I have absolutely zero data stating what percent of people gain weight with Paxil, but a number of folks apparently do based on posts I’ve read and my own experience. Even so, the manufacturer of Paxil states in television ads that loss of appetite may be a side effect, but they make no reference to weight gain. The good news, though, is if you gain weight with Paxil, then stop taking the drug, over time the lbs. will drop off. Mine did. Doug

Response:

:I wish I had known I could have cut my pill in half. My Dr started me out :at 10mg and I flipped. I quit after 4 days. I only wish I had found this :newsgroup prior to taking the meds. That experience has kept me away from :ever taking meds again. Dear Lady, Sadly, there are so many people that have been scared away from ever trying a antidepressant again because of high starting doses and weaning too quickly. I`m really sorry this happened to you ( :On a good note, my anxiety and panic attacks have :decreased tremendously. Now that is great news!! ) Jackie ~*~any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee~*~ ~John Donne~

Response:

:Before any of you take any of the "innocent" SSRI’s, :I suggest you take a look at this first: :http://www.drugawareness.org/Oldsite/survivors.html and :http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/Survivors/Awake_for_800_Hours_S… :tml alot of misinformation, tons of bullshit there. The woman who calls her self Dr. Tracy is no doctor. I suggest anyone tempted to go to these links think twice, or do a Google search on Dr. Tracy and Drugawareness, better yet talk to your doctor about your concerns. You are no better than the anti-med trolls that have invaded these newsgroups trying to scare the living shit out of people about the meds they take. It would be one thing if the info was true and Please check out my link for you ) http://users.pandora.be/p0p0/youare.swf ~*~any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee~*~ ~John Donne~

Response:

Is social phobia with situational panic attacks equal to, less than or more difficult to cope with than panic disorder?

the discomfort is equivocal-anxiety in intense states is the same regadless if it is socially driven or symptom driven-there is also much overlap between being socially cognizant and anxious as well as having proximal anxieties LM

Response:

I wish I had known I could have cut my pill in half. My Dr started me out at 10mg and I flipped. I quit after 4 days. I only wish I had found this newsgroup prior to taking the meds. That experience has kept me away from ever taking meds again. On a good note, my anxiety and panic attacks have decreased tremendously. When I have to go somewhere, I feel them kick in, but by the time I get there, I’m fine. I just need a little push to get me going. When I became a SAHM, I started to notice them more frequently. Winter months are the worst. I’m just grateful the seasons have changed and I’m out more often. I have a few months to plan my winter months to keep me busy. If only I had some ideas! I guess you can tell…I don’t like the winter…I hate to be cold and moving is not an option.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – :Is Paxil really good for treating just Social Phobia? I take paxil for panic disorder but I`ve read and heard that paxil is a effective med for social anxiety. Will it be a good med for you? No one Jackie Paxil is s good a med for Social Anxiety Disorder as its peer meds AFAIK. But I believe the first choice treatment is *Cognitive Behavioral Therapy* (CBT), first one-to-one with a therapist and then in a group. A med like Paxil can support therapy of course when it’s needed. Just my 2c Philip Philip, My experience with sp has been that until you lessen the anxiety with meds, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to even see a therapist, let alone take CBT. The anxiety is just too great with sp people when dealing with "authority" figures, among countless others.

You are obviously more familiar with SP than I am. Still, I can imagine it being a gradual thing where some people can actually make do woth therapy only while others need meds too. I don’t have SP but I *am* lucky enough to have PD w/agoraphobia and I needed my meds to work before I could see a CB-therapist. That brings up a question I’ve always wondered about. Is social phobia with situational panic attacks equal to, less than or more difficult to cope with than panic disorder? I’m not intentionally being facetious. It’s just that I’ve often thought that "if it were possible", I’d trade my sp for pd. Please don’t misunderstand; I realize that pd disrupts thousands of lives too.

As you say yourself it’s not a contest. We all are dealt a hand we have to play and IMO the way we (learn to) handle that determines how difficult it is to cope with it. I don’t believe there is an objective standard. So: YMMV. Philip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

Just to reiterate what Jackie said about Paxil being effective for social phobia too: I’ve had sp for all of my adult life and discovered Paxil perhaps 6 years ago. I took this med off and on, mostly on, for nearly 5 years. It was excellent at eliminating anticipatory and chronic anxiety, but was not able to prevent situational panic attacks (at least in my case). If you also have situational panic attacks, you may need a benzodiazepine to complement the Paxil. OTOH, in the social phobia newsgroup, a few posters have stated that Paxil also reduced or stopped their panic attacks too. Just goes to show that people can react differently to the same med. I gave up Paxil because of an inordinate number of side effects, which probably isn’t the norm, and switched over to all benzos. That said, if I could no longer take benzos, I definitely would reconsider Paxil in spite of the side effects I experienced. BTW, if you decide to try Paxil and weight gain begins to become an issue, attack it immediately before it gets out of hand. Cut your caloric intake about 10 to 15% and begin a mild exercise program. I have absolutely zero data stating what percent of people gain weight with Paxil, but a number of folks apparently do based on posts I’ve read and my own experience. Even so, the manufacturer of Paxil states in television ads that loss of appetite may be a side effect, but they make no reference to weight gain. The good news, though, is if you gain weight with Paxil, then stop taking the drug, over time the lbs. will drop off. Mine did. Doug

Response:

:Are the benefits of Paxil worth going through some of the bad side effects? I think it depends on the person, how effective paxil is for them and what the side-effects are and what they are willing to tolerate in exchange for good control over their anxiety disorder. You just won`t know unless you always get off paxil if you don`t like it. Just make sure to start at a low dose like 5mgs, or 2.5 if you are super sensitive to the side-effects of meds and wean slowly until you reach your prescribed dose. Using a benzo such as Xanax can make the weaning process more tolerable. Give paxil 6 to 8 weeks to kick in, side-effects will hopefully have diminished or gone away completely by this time as well. I`ve been on paxil for more than 4 years and to me it was worth the few side-effects I had and still have…..like fatigue, dry mouth and vivid dreaming, small price to pay for having my life back. :Is Paxil really good for treating just Social Phobia? I take paxil for panic disorder but I`ve read and heard that paxil is a effective med for social anxiety. Will it be a good med for you? No one Jackie ~*~Life was so much easier when your clothes didn’t match and boys had cooties~*~

Response:

:Is Paxil really good for treating just Social Phobia? I take paxil for panic disorder but I`ve read and heard that paxil is a effective med for social anxiety. Will it be a good med for you? No one Jackie

Paxil is s good a med for Social Anxiety Disorder as its peer meds AFAIK. But I believe the first choice treatment is *Cognitive Behavioral Therapy* (CBT), first one-to-one with a therapist and then in a group. A med like Paxil can support therapy of course when it’s needed. Just my 2c Philip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

Are the benefits of Paxil worth going through some of the bad side effects? Is Paxil really good for treating just Social Phobia?

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